Canada’s Best Cities To Drive-in

Canada faces a range of travel issues including the overall cost, ageing infrastructure, plus congestion in major cities and along trade corridors.

A new study by Kijiji Autos of over 2,000 Canadian drivers, titled ‘The Best Roads and Happiest Canadian Cities to Drive In’, considers different metrics such as road conditions, drivers’ sentiments, average time commuting, and so on. This is in order to identify the best cities for the driving experience.

The study also delved into attitudes and behaviours while on the road, to create the driving city index.

The top three cities for a happy drive were found to be:

• Quebec: Quebec ranks as the best city for a happy drive with 72 per cent of its residents claiming that the conditions of its roads are very good. 88 per cent of people claim to feel happy to drive at least once a week
• Kitchener: In the second position is Kitchener with 605 of its residents describing road conditions as very good. Only 28 per cent of people think there are dangerous drivers in Kitchener
• Calgary: Calgary has 78 per cent of its citizens claiming to have good road conditions in the city. Additionally, 64 per cent of drivers have lost their temper making them one of the calmest cities to drive.

The top five are:

There are some variations in the different factors that lead to the overall findings. For example, Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa-Gatineau boast the best road conditions; and Québec has the happiest drivers. Furthermore, the calmest roads are located in Kitchener and the most focused in Hamilton.

For many, the driving experience is variable. On average, 1 in 10 Canadians sits in traffic for 20 mins per day, with drivers in Toronto spending the most time at a standstill. Drivers in Toronto spend an average of 19 minutes and 8 seconds in traffic per day compared with the national average of 14 minutes and 15 seconds.

To pass the time, the survey finds that two-thirds of drivers enjoy music while driving, and one in 10 prefer to listen to podcasts. Other distractions, as well as being factors that explain why many will still drive for pleasure despite the traffic delays, are cited as scenic views and a sense of freedom.

As to how drivers claim to deal with the frustrations of driving, Kitchener has the calmest drivers, while Winnipeg hosts the most drivers who admit to getting angry behind the wheel Coping with anxiety, and its extreme form leads to road rage, requires a good mental attitude.

Almost half of Canadians feel anxious at least once per week while driving, with only 2 per cent describing the road conditions in their area as “exceptional”.

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